1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a fieldbus component, a communication system including several fieldbus components, and also a process of the transmission of data over a high speed transmission medium.
2. Discussion of Relevant Art
So-called fieldbus systems are used today in automation technology as a technique for connecting between the equipments taking part in the production process. These fieldbus systems usually work at transmission rates <10 Mbit/s. There is a need for higher bandwidth of the fieldbus systems because of the increasing penetration of the fieldbus systems into all regions of automation technology, on the one hand, and the increasing capacity of the control systems on the other hand.
In the field of information technology, and particular in the local area network region, there already exist networks, known as Ethernet, with a bandwidth of 10 Mbit/s. This network technology is constantly being developed, corresponding to the constantly increasing need for bandwidth. Transmission speeds of 100 Mbit/s at a distance of up to 100 m are made possible by the use of a copper-based transmission medium. This network is also known as Fast Ethernet.